The Choices We Make
by Vigilante4
Summary: Choices are important. To those fighting the Fire Nation, like the waterbenders of the Southern Tribe, choices can be the difference between life or death. To those running from the Fire Nation, like the Avatar and his companions, choices can be the difference between discovery and secrecy. But what everyone knows is that choices can change the world.
1. Chapter 1

**Author note:**

 **Hi! I'm Vigilante4. This is my first published FanFiction entry. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Rating: T - children beware.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Avatar series. This is just some fictional idea spawned by my overactive imagination. However, with the amount of reading on this site I do, I can't absolutely guarantee that every single idea in my story is my own. If I have infringed on anyone else's work, I'm very sorry. It was not intentional. Please inform me if you notice something that's not entirely my idea, and I'll try to correct it if possible.**

 _Summer, 93 years since the Air Nomad Genocide_

His name is Zuko. He is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, son of Ozai and Ursa. He is a firebender. He is a loyal supporter of his father and his lineage. He is a highly educated and privileged nine year old boy with an incredible social and intellectual advantage over all of his peers. Nobody would dare lay a hand on him, not even the lowliest Earth Kingdom peasant or Water Tribe savage.

Or, at least, that was what he had thought. But as the waves of agony coursing through his face crept up on him again, Zuko was forced to revise all previous thoughts about his so-called "royal protection".

It had been several hours since the fateful Agni Kai. The boy had been unconscious for most of that time. The remainder had been spent resting and worrying incessantly about his future. Zuko was a clever boy. He knew that one didn't lose an Agni Kai to the Fire Lord and live in peace to tell the tale. His father was not that merciful to those who dared to defy him. His weakness would not be tolerated.

As time went by, Zuko dozed fitfully, kept awake by his thoughts and the burning pain from his face. He got no real rest. Both his surroundings and thoughts were too chaotic for him to sleep properly. He couldn't keep himself from replaying that horrible duel over and over in his mind, the sheer terror of the moment his father burned him etched into his mind forever. He knew that moment would star in his nightmares for months.

Not only was the young boy's mind in turmoil, the ship was too. Being on a Grand Progress with the royal family to conduct an inspection of the troops in the southern waters was a difficult business. Calls for messages to be delivered, chores to be completed and royal needs to be met were constant, as was the racket from the kitchen and the war rooms. Hundreds of voices yelling over the top of each other inside the confined metal cruise ship was enough to give anyone a headache, never mind the injured child.

Eventually, night fell, and the roaring bustle faded to a dull murmur. As soon as he was able to put the thoughts of the fight behind him, albeit temporarily, Zuko conked out completely. He was so tired that not even the pain from his injuries could wake him up. The night passed like the blink of an eye to the boy, as he was so deeply asleep.

Hours later, as the sun crept over the horizon, a conversation managed to shake the boy from slumber. He blinked his eyes tiredly, denying the urge to find out what the two men who were outside his room were talking about in favour of attempting to get some more sleep. However, just as the boy was dozing off, he heard one of the men say his name.

"The Prince -"

"Just Zuko, now." One of the men scoffed. "He's no prince anymore."

"- is being deported this morning."

"To where?"

"The wide open sea," the man said with a hint of sadistic glee. "Over the side on a wooden raft. It's against tradition to kill a noble, whether he's a pansy or not, so the Fire Lord is leaving his fate up to the Spirits to decide. But if you want my opinion, he won't last even an hour before falling off the damn thing."

"Too true," the other man continued, their voices fading as the apparently left the scene. "I'm sure...boy...wind up dead..."

Zuko was alarmed, but his mind was still half asleep, and didn't make the connection between the man's words and his own future for a long time. The tide of sleep took him under once more for a few hours, until around midday, where he was woken by the sensation of being picked up.

He was slightly more alert this time, but still unable to do anything due to his injuries. Apart from the scar on his face, Zuko had broken a leg, a rib and had lost a lot of blood. Coupled with the fever he had already been running and the pounding headache he had recently acquired, he was in no position to resist when the guards entered his room and lugged his sleep pallet up several flights of stairs to the deck.

Once he was in the sunshine, the boy perked up a bit more, but was still fairly out of it. He did, however, manage to grasp the fact that being tied to a small, rickety raft by armed guards was not a good thing.

"H...Hey," he managed to wheeze out nearly silently, "w-what are you doing?"

The guards didn't answer of course, too busy laughing to themselves about the fate of the battered boy they were surrounding. Zuko's anxiety peaked and he began to struggle weakly against his bonds as they lifted the raft and walked over to the back end of the ship.

His heart leapt out of his chest as the four burly men swung him and his attached raft over the side of the ship. One sniggered to himself. "Nighty night, kid," he chuckled grimly before the four of them dropped the raft suddenly, sending the boy plummeting down towards the choppy ocean. Bursts of pain overrode Zuko's senses as he hit the water, taking his breath away and knocking him out swiftly.

The last thing Zuko remembered before the world went dark around him was the piercing blast of a war horn, and the accompanying cry.

"Incoming!"

* * *

They had been sailing for days by now, subtly following the massive metal cruiser that housed their greatest enemies: the Fire Lord and his family. Hakoda and his soldiers were patient, as their element dictated, and had been planning their sneak attack for days by now. Their crew of thirty might not be as strong as the two hundred on board the metal monstrosity, but they had an ace up their sleeve which the Fire Nation would never expect.

Fourteen of them were master waterbenders.

After the raid on them sixty years ago, the Fire Nation thought they had wiped out all of the southern benders, but one had escaped their clutches. Hama, a young girl at the time, had managed to slip off the Fire Nation ship and swim back to shore within days of the ship departing. And with her there to recognise and train potential benders, many more were discovered amidst the young children of the next generation.

Hakoda was part of a long line of southern Chiefs and another long line of powerful waterbenders. Achieving his mastery at the age of fourteen, he was considered to be the ultimate bending authority in their tribe now since Hama was so old and fragile. Under his leadership, the tribe had flourished with a fresh batch of waterbenders to build permanent residences and the towering walls of ice and packed snow their people were know for.

Now, the period of rebuilding had ended. The tribe was fortified enough against outside threats in the absence of their men. The women had been trained to fight and bend alongside the men, as was custom in their tribe, and four of their number had joined the expedition as benders to make an even wolfship's crew. The gates to the city were sealed and manned by the teenage and preteen bending students. If the Fire Nation dared to mount a raid against them in the absence of their warriors, they would be stopped blank by the colossal walls of ice and packed snow.

They were finally ready to start fighting back.

Hakoda had already sent an embassy of a few of his troops up north to the Earth Kingdom to liaise with the King. Battle plans were in the making for a few year's time. The Earth Kingdom needed to rebuild as much as they did before mounting an offensive, but when they were ready, the Southern Water Tribe would help them.

Their sister tribe in the north, of course, had done absolutely nothing during this war. The Northern Water Tribe was well known for their reluctance to get involved in conflict that didn't serve their own purposes. With their fortress to hide behind, they were safe from the horrors of the war, and the Fire Nation had given up trying to crack the nut that was their city more than fifty years ago. The rest of the world held them in severe disdain for leaving them to suffer the brunt of the Fire Nation's offence without even sending warriors down to fight. While the South were publicly supporters of the North, they too thought the northerners to be cowards.

"Ship sighted," Karruk, a tall warrior, said from the top of the crow's nest in their ship.

Hakoda waved in acknowledgement before beckoning for the young man to come down. The Water Tribe warriors gathered in the bow of their ship, leaving Analaq at the steering oar to keep them moving. Hunkering down below the bulwarks, Hakoda and his fighters loosened their weapons in their sheaths and uncapped the flasks of water on their hips. If they managed to get below deck, they would need an accessible supply of water.

"All right," Hakoda murmured quietly, "everyone ready?"

"Aye," Bato replied, followed immediately by all of the others. "Good to go, Chief."

"Analaq?" Hakoda asked the skipper.

"They're in the Great Divide," he reported. "Closing at a hundred...seventy...fifty..." The warriors hefted their weapons, tensing their muscles to spring. "...thirty...twenty...ten..."

As soon as they felt the boat grind to a stop against the metal hull, the warriors sprang out of their hiding spot and swarmed over the bulwarks onto the enemy ship, Hakoda and Bato leading the silent charge. Once every waterbender's feet were on the ship, Hakoda yelled a command.

"Right side!" he ordered, sliding into a bending stance and raising a towering wave over the side of the enemy ship, feeling the strength of the thirteen benders behind him helping him raise it to greater heights. When it reached its peak, Hakoda sent it crashing over the deck, sending half the guards toppling over the side. As planned, their rapid attack took them completely by surprise. Once the defences were diminished, Hakoda led his warriors in a charge against the twenty odd firebenders left to defend the royals, already snapping out a water whip towards the closest.

A melee of fighting broke out on deck, with the Water Tribe easily sending the remaining soldiers over the side as well. Once the deck was clear, Hakoda froze the water behind them, leaving a barrier of treacherous black ice for the soldiers to get past once they managed to climb aboard, before making a beeline for the stairs leading to the lower galley.

Descending rapidly, the warriors swiftly split themselves into two groups to search the ship. Hakoda's group sprinted down the left corridor, knocking out the guards with a few well-placed punches and kicks as they went. They went down another level, and Hakoda used a bit of his precious supply of water to freeze the non bending guards to the wall while his sister, Janna, ran past him and knocked two of the benders over with her spear, kicking them in the head to knock them out.

Their mission relied on speed and the near silent take down of their adversaries. Their only objective was to find and either kill or capture as many members of the royal family as possible. It was against the warrior's code of honour to kill men who were fighting unwillingly, and Hakoda was reasonably sure that nobody would volunteer to come this far south and face up against the forces of the Southern Water Tribe, whose reputation was already beginning to spread.

Once they took out the guards, they continued down the corridor, throwing open every door them came across and searching the room briefly. They found nobody until they reached the last door at the end of the corridor, decorated with the seal of the royal family. Hakoda smirked grimly to himself. His hours of planning and underwater surveillance would finally be paying off.

He kicked down the door easily, drawing all the remaining water out of his flask, ready to freeze and secure a Fire Nation royal. But upon seeing the inhabitant of the room, he relaxed his stance, redirecting his water back into his flask.

"W-Who are you?" the teenage boy said, trying to conceal the quiver of fear in his voice and failing miserably. "What do you want with me?"

He was a nervous, meek looking thing, Hakoda thought with a tinge of disdain. Slight, with soft skin and hands, obviously never worked a day in his life. Fancy topknot, of course. The gold eyes spoke of firebending, though...a problem might arise there. The boy seemed to have no intention of fighting them off - unusual, for one of his people. However, a sneaking suspicion was beginning to form in Hakoda's mind as he took in the abject fear in the boy's gaze...and it didn't stem from his nationality, that was for sure. But as always, Hakoda knew to live in the moment, and brushed his speculation off for consideration at a later date.

Hakoda raised an eyebrow. "Directions. Where's the royal family?" He wasn't about to hit a child, no matter their allegiance. He couldn't exactly leave him free while he abducted the royal family though...

"The Fire Lord and Lady are on another ship," the boy managed to get out shakily. "My parents are with them too - oh, Agni," he whispered in horror to himself as he realised what he had just said.

"Your parents are guards?" Janna asked.

The boy hesitated slightly, his eyes darting left for a moment before he opened his mouth to answer. But Hakoda caught his slip. "No," he said, slowly drawing his water back out of his flask, "his parents aren't guards."

The boy gulped.

Another member of their boarding party, Kuraq, caught on to the mistake as well. "By the look of him, chief, I'd say he's a bit better off in life than a guard's son. Someone of a better class, for example...a prince."

The look of horror on the boy's face, coupled with his earlier slip, clued the quick-witted chief in to his identity instantly. "Iroh's son," he realised, fixing a calculating eye on the boy, "Prince Lu Ten."

As soon as he knew his cover was blown, a blast of fire was thrown their way. Only Hakoda's swift reflexes saved the group of fifteen from instant incineration, as he doused the flames well before they reached them. Kuraq took the initiative, gracefully sending water arcing over the blast and onto the boy, freezing him in place. Janna and her friend Kanata surged past the chief and worked together to truss up the teenager securely.

A crash and the sound of men pouring onto the deck above heralded the arrival of more soldiers. Hakoda grimaced to himself. "Time to go," he said decisively, beckoning the young boy towards him. "You're coming with us," he informed the boy. "Don't worry. You're a prisoner of war, and the Water Tribe honours the stipulations thereof." Hakoda paused. "And of course, we'd never dream of harming a child."

He swallowed before nodding, hesitantly shuffling closer to the man. Hakoda patted his shoulder reassuringly, his paternal instincts kicking into gear, before he made a swift hand gesture and the ranks of the Water Tribe warriors closed up in formation, Lu Ten in the middle. Hakoda and Janna led the charge against the arriving soldiers, knocking them back far enough that they could get up the two flights of stairs to the main deck, ushering their prisoner after them.

Arriving on the deck, Hakoda saw the other members of the raiding party making their way back to the ship as well, unfortunately without prisoners. Bato was facing off against a group of middle-aged guards, holding back their attacks with his long spear while his teammates scrambled over the bulwarks back onto their own ship, readying it to sail away as soon as everyone was on board. Instantly, Hakoda's jets of water sprang to his best friend's aid, helping him defend their escape route as Janna and the others easily swarmed back into the ship, one of the men hustling their captive along with them. As soon as everyone was on board, Bato and Hakoda traded a glance, and as one, turned and sprinted for their ship, vaulting over the side just as they pulled away from the large metal steamer.

The Chief did a quick head count, sighing internally in relief as he saw every member of his crew had escaped alive, if not entirely unscathed. As the proud wooden ship of the Water Tribe sped away from the enemy, Hakoda began to relax and unwind slightly from the tense battle. His first thoughts went to the injuries of his crew. The close seconds were to the wellbeing of his prisoner, the teenage Fire Prince.

Hakoda always felt slightly guilty when fighting the Fire Nation. He knew that a fair chunk of them were forced to conscript and didn't enjoy killing innocent people. It never sat right with him, fighting those who would rather not fight. So far, he had detained three high ranking officials of the Fire Nation for interrogation in Ba Sing Se. He was used to the uncomfortable feeling that people were never going to see their families again because of him. But Hakoda understood that this was war. The lives of the few had to be sacrificed for the lives of the many unless there was another option available.

However, he couldn't come to terms with kidnapping a child. Being a parent himself, Hakoda understood the absolute terror that would grip a parent if they knew their child was in the hands of the enemy. His decision to take the royal children was strategically a good move. It would spread the Fire Nation's forces thin and would shake the nerve of the Fire Lord. Intellectually, he knew he had made the right decision for his people and the future of the world. Emotionally...well, he wasn't so sure.

Hakoda sighed, straightening his shoulders and cleared his throat to talk to the men. "May I have your attention, please?" His voice carried the unmistakable air of authority characteristic of him, and even the most unruly members of the crew fell silent and paid attention when he was being serious, like he was then.

He surveyed the assembled warriors with a critical eye. "Thank you," he said briskly, a small smile playing over his face. "That mission counts as a success," he continued his short debriefing. "We have one of the members of the royal family, and have dealt a severe blow to the confidence of the Fire Nation. You all performed admirably. Good job." He paused for a moment. "Now, we have three healers on board. Any injuries - and I mean any, Lakan," a chorus of sniggers swept through the audience at their Chief's rebuke of their youngest and most careless member, "- are to be reported to Keitak, Namara or myself. No exceptions. Everyone fit for duty is to hold a course for home, but take it easy, please. And does anybody want to volunteer to watch Lu Ten?"

Dead silence reigned for a moment, before Bato stepped forward and nodded once to his friend before laying a firm yet kind hand on the youngest's shoulder and steering him towards the side rail, murmuring a few words of direction and assurance in his ear. Hakoda nodded to himself, satisfied that the boy would be well looked after.

"Now that we've settled things," he continued, "let's get -"

"Craft sighted!" The lookout, the only member of the crew excused from briefing, called from his perch at the top of the mast. Hakoda looked up instantly, a frown marring his face. "Small raft to the west," the man reported, "no people I can see...wait...there's one." He paused for a few seconds before finishing his observations incredulously. "It's a boy," he said with a tinge of grimness as he peered more closely through the rudimentary spy glass he had. "Fire Nation, only about ten years old, I'd say."

Lu Ten inhaled sharply at that. Every eye on board slowly turned to face him. After a moment, Hakoda spoke. "Lu Ten? Who is that?"

The boy swallowed, trying to compose himself. "I think...I think it's Zuko, er, sir." At their point blank looks, he clarified. "My cousin."

Hakoda made the connection instantly. "What is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation doing out here alone?" he asked suspiciously, his mind immediately thinking of ways the Fire Nation could be planning to attack them.

Lu Ten hesitated. "He...he and his father had a bit of a...falling out, let's say," he explained quietly. "My uncle disinherited him last night, after...well, after a fight with him. He was thrown overboard to take his chances against the elements this morning. They didn't think he'd survive, not with his injuries..."

Quiet murmurings broke out amongst the crew. Many of them were incensed at the Fire Nation's treatment of a child. The Southern Water Tribe raised their children in a harsh and strict environment on a diet of strong discipline and large amounts of work. However, they were a very close-knit people, and they did love their children very much, despite their firm stance on punishment. To leave a young boy alone in hostile territory, injured and left to drift on a rickety raft until he died was inexcusable, no matter what the child had done.

Hakoda'a feelings on the matter matched the general consensus. He warred with himself for a moment before finally giving in to his parental instincts. "Analaq, bring us round," he ordered calmly.

* * *

He had been drifting for, oh, just under an hour he'd say, although he couldn't really tell as he had been unconscious for a bit. Zuko was actually starting to enjoy it, kind of. Calm...peaceful...quiet... Yes, Zuko was enjoying this part of proceedings more than any other that occurred in the past twenty-four hours.

There was a fog clouding his mind and his one good eye. He knew what was going on around him, but honestly, Zuko couldn't bring himself to care any more. He noted with a detached interest that he would die before the day was out. He could feel that he was in serious pain, but it didn't have him crying or screwing his eyes closed. Instead, the boy looked almost as if he was sleeping from a distance. It was only upon closer inspection that one could see the shallowness of his breath and the horrific scarring of his face.

Almost an age later, Zuko slowly became aware of a new sound being added to surroundings. A soft whuffing noise...like a piece of cloth in the wind, really. He didn't pay it much mind at all, not even when it got so close that he could see where it came from. The elegant, noble wooden wolfship was obviously not Fire Nation, he recognised that much, but instead of being terrified by the Water Tribe savages that had come to get him, he was morbidly amused. It was more funny than anything when a well-built yet light-footed Water Tribe man dropped onto his craft with a soft thud from the higher deck.

As the man knelt by his side, concern marring his proud yet kind features, Zuko was suddenly struck by the urge to cry. He hadn't cried at all since the fateful duel, and it had caught up to him. So when the foreign stranger laid a soothing hand on his face, tilting his chin up from the wooden raft gently, the young boy gave into temptation, screwed his eyes shut, and allowed a single tear to escape. His pride wouldn't allow anything more.

And when the man brushed away his tear lightly before carefully picking him up and passing him up to another two men on the boat before agilely leaping back on board himself, Zuko had to exercise all of the self-control he could muster in his injured, confused state to stop himself from letting out another.

Then darkness came over him once more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the latest update. It's not my best work, and I'm reasonably sure there's a couple of spelling mistakes, but I gave it a go. It's also only about half as long as the first chapter, but that's because the events are basically just setting the scene and introducing my OC. In about two more chapters, things will start to pick up the pace. I warn you now that I update really sporadically, so don't expect me to be this fast very often.**

 **Please refer to chapter one for a disclaimer.**

 **Enjoy!**

Spring, 100 years since the Air Nomad Genocide

Chapter 2:

Push. Deep breath in, slow exhale. Pull. Right hand back. Left hand forward. Push. Step. Right hand whips out, left hand rotates. Water snaps against the frozen wall of the house. Pull. Hands circle, water flows. Switch feet. Left hand back. Right hand forward. Push. Left hand whips this time, right hand rotates. Water arcs back towards the target, striking sharply on the wall.

Training took a pattern very quickly when you weren't allowed to advance. Her grand waterbending arsenal of three forms didn't allow for much variation in practice. Still, she continued, despite her boredom. Karah knew that the ability to hit what you aim at instinctively was nothing to be scoffed at. And if she couldn't learn any proper forms, her basics had to be rock solid.

Push. Ice freezes, snow falls to the ground. Pull. Feet slide back together. Hands lower. Deep breath in, slow exhale. Cerulean eyes opened.

Karah sighed, eyeing her makeshift target with a critical eye. Her second water whip missed the centre by a fraction of an inch. An astronomical improvement on the wild misses she began training with. Two years of stolen time, secret escapades and forbidden scroll-reading paid off. Karah was now reasonably competent for a waterbender of her tribe.

Well, a male waterbender anyway. She was worlds above where any other Northern Water Tribe girl would ever be allowed to reach.

Ever since the Fire Nation raid six years ago years ago, waterbending was pretty much obsolete. Any surviving warrior benders were children at the time, and could only remember the most basic forms. Karah herself was only a young girl of nine winters. But even if she had been old enough to undergo training in combat waterbending, there was no way she would ever have been permitted to...even if she was the most powerful waterbender their tribe currently had.

It was the highest form of blasphemy against the spirits for a woman to fight. Ever since Avatar Kurruk decreed that the woman's place was in the healing tents and by the hearth, their tribe had forbidden the training of girls in anything but scholarly pursuits, child rearing or healing. As with the two other girls her age that survived the massacre of their tribe, Karah had began her healer training at the age of ten. She had held her master qualification for three years already. While her training was progressing, she had been satisfied with her lot in life. Her overactive mind and burning desire to learn and improve herself needed an outlet. For a time, healing had been that. But as soon as she had received her master scroll, her mind had strayed to less desirable uses of her bending.

She lasted a year before giving into the impulse to teach herself whatever she could of the lost ways. With the Fir Nation either murdering or imprisoning all of their even vaguely competent warrior benders, nearly all formal waterbending knowledge had been lost. What she could learn from the remaining scrolls of her people was severely limited. Once she had perfected the three forms outlined in them, Karah was - once again - bored.

She was not a selfish girl by nature. Karah understood her family's duty to the tribe - she understood the need for healers. But she could not force herself to truly believe that her path was as a non-combatant. In her burned a desire to help, a desire to take a more active role in her life. Karah couldn't stand the limited options her future held. She knew that, as soon as she finished developing, she would be married off to a suitor, most likely that awful Irsaq. And she didn't want that.

With a casual swipe of her hand, the target was erased from the back wall of her family's home. A few more simple gestures melted the ice that had formed around her and turned the water back into snow where it had been altered. Stooping to pick up her parka, Karah shrugged the thick dark blue poncho on before slipping back inside her sleeping home, heading into the kitchen to begin her morning chores.

* * *

"Summons!" the herald cried as he neared their modest home of ice. Karah stopped her work, brushing off her dusty hands on her blue tunic before slipping into her parka and stepping out into the cold to see what the visitor wanted.

"For who?" Karah asked the older man, shielding her eyes against the blizzard that had kicked up over the past few days.

"For Karah, daughter of Hortakk and Orana, healer of -"

"That's me," the teenage girl hastened to cut the pompous man's drivel off before he really got going. The formality of the Northern Water Tribe was oppressive and all-consuming, even when they had no reason to uphold it. In a tribe of fifty people, who cared about the proper way to address a herald? "Who's it from?"

The man looked affronted by her interruption, but waved the insult away as he continued his spiel. "Healer Karah, you've been summoned to the council chambers. Chief Arnook has urgent business with you. Go immediately."

"Sure," Karah replied, heading back towards the house, "just let me tell my mum."

A quick conversation and a long, cold walk to the council chambers later, and Karah was bowing before the Assembly of Elders.

"Karah, healer and waterbender of the Northern Water Tribe, an immense honour has been bestowed upon the Water Tribes," Chief Arnook intoned, voice allowing no emotion, as always. A pregnant pause filled the air. "The Avatar is alive."

Karah's eyes widened, shock obvious on her features. "A child of Air," Elder Hasuk said stonily, "who has urgent need of a waterbending Master. You have been selected as part of the entourage accompanying him to our sister tribe in the South to enquire after teachers."

Karah smirked internally, although outwardly remaining semi-composed. She knew how much that irked the elders, to need something from the Southern Tribe who they had openly scorned the assistance of only a short five winters before. Chief Hakoda, only a man of thirty at the time, had brought supplies and benders to the North without hesitation or misgivings to aid their recovery from the Fire Nation's devastation. Unfortunately, the North had spurned his offer, standing on their pride, and fiercely declaring their independence from them.

Karah had been laughing that up in private for years. The tribe elders were so stuck on their dignity that they had offended their only allies in today's war torn world, inadvertently dooming theirselves to the fate they had claimed the South were suffering - the fate of being alone without any allies to draw strength from. There was no love lost between her and the Chief, as her opinion of his son was well-known throughout the tribe, even if she had never said anything specifically about the boy. She shuddered to think of marrying Irsaq.

"The Avatar, of course, has already departed with my son to the Earth Kingdom, to find an earthbending master," Chief Arnook continued. "They will be meeting up with you on Kyoshi Island in about a month's time before journeying South to the pole."

Horror dawned upon the girl. She'd have to travel with the idiot? "I understand," Karah said, "but why am I going? Surely Irsaq will -"

"Irsaq is not a bender," Elder Kato said. "While he is going as the Avatar's companion and advisor, you have a different role. Your job is to observe the benders at the Southern Tribe and bring back information so we can relearn our traditional mastery."

"Provisions are being assembled for you," Chief Arnook droned on. "You will be allowed to take a kayak down to the Island, and travel from there on bison back to the pole with the Avatar's group..."

Karah listened with only half an ear as she turned over the information in her head. The Avatar was alive? Then why the spirits didn't he help out sooner? And how on earth was he an Air Nomad? She couldn't believe that she, a nobody, would be travelling alongside some of the greatest benders in the world to the South Pole. It had been her dream, her ultimate childhood fantasy to live in the South, where women were free to learn whatever combat they liked! An opportunity like this would be amazing! She would be the first Northerner to leave the city since before the war began - well, second, Irsaq had already departed.

And not only that, Karah realised, but she had been explicitly told to learn bending moves! She had been given permission to watch and remember combat moves! She could hardly wait to see what amazing things the Southern Tribe could do with their bending. The stories of their abilities were legendary amongst the tribe. Karah had grown up hearing tales like those of Renata and her ice razors. It was the opportunity of a life time for her.

"You are to depart tomorrow at dawn," Chief Arnook concluded. "May the wind stay strong and the ocean carry you swiftly." Recognising her dismissal, Karah bowed politely before leaving the room, her mind already buzzing with possibilities and ideas.

* * *

As the first rays of the sun crept over the horizon, a sleek wooden kayak slipped into the shallow beach that served as their docks. Shivering in the subzero temperatures, Karah made quick work of untying her oar and stowing her pack and provisions in the designated compartments. Once everything was inside the slim boat she had been provided with, she sat in it and swung her legs over into the boat with her.

Karah went over her mental checklist one last time before leaving. She had informed her parents of her duty and had bidden them goodbye last night - they didn't have a close relationship. She had been to the temple to pray for good fortune for her journey, and had even made the long trek out to the Moon Pool so she could make offerings at the tribe shrine to Tui, the ocean spirit. She had informed the Masters in the infirmary of her absence from duty, and had checked and double checked her supplies so that they lasted her as long as possible. As far as she knew, she had thought of everything.

Satisfied with her preparations, Karah glanced around covertly before subtly bending her waterlogged clothes dry and harnessing a wave to push the beached kayak more firmly into the water. Once she was floating, Karah hefted her oar and started paddling rhythmically, the childhood teachings of their tribe's traditional pastime coming back to her slowly. Sure, she could have attempted to waterbender the kayak faster, but she wanted to build up some muscle mass. Karah knew she would be travelling for a long time to reach the South Pole, through a lot of hostile territory too, so she would need as many physical advantages as she could get.

The Northern Water Tribe remnants were situated in a cove, at the end of a narrow river that passed through a crack in the ice. It was isolated from the elements to a degree, but the downside of its location was that it was a nightmare for ships to leave. The treacherous icebergs and rocks under the water left little room to manoeuvre in the strait, and it made kayaking difficult. But eventually, Karah made it out into the open sea.

She stared out at the desolate landscape ahead of her. Only a dim shadow on the horizon indicated the direction in which she was to travel. Land was a good three days away, with nowhere to stop in between. The silence and eerie stillness of the frozen waters surrounding her fragile kayak were unnerving to say the least. There was nothing in front of her, other than the smallest of the white icebergs that could be found near the pole. After a good ten minutes of contemplation, Karah sighed to herself, pulled up the hood of her worn blue parka to protect herself from the biting arctic wind, and began the seemingly endless journey towards the faint outline of the Earth Kingdom in the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! It's me again. I'm still alive, just really unproductive and uninspired. But seriously, seven months is inexcusable, and I'll try not to do this again.**

 **See chapter one for a disclaimer. I don't like repeating myself.**

 **So, here is the latest chapter. Very short, but I just couldn't expand it any more. I've had a brainwave and I've decided I want this story to go in a different direction to what I originally planned, which means I've had to scrap almost two pages of work** from **this chapter. Apologies.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Summer, 93 years since the Air Nomad Genocide

Chapter 3:

It took Zuko less than five minutes after he woke up to decide that the Water Tribe were not the barbarians his father said they were. When he woke up, he was on a soft, warm and dry sleep pallet with a clean patch of cloth held in place over his left eye by a bandage. He could feel something cold against his skin underneath it, soothing the pain from the burn. The room he was in on the ship was clean and quiet. It was a far stretch from the primitive practices his father had told him of.

That was almost enough to assure Zuko that he was in the hands of people, not savages. What finally tipped the scales was the man who had entered the small room moments after he had woken up.

He wore the blue armour with the strange gems on the chest and arms trademark of the Southern Water Tribe, along with the sky coloured beads in his shoulder length thick brown hair. Zuko could tell immediately that the man was a warrior. His lean but muscular body, coupled with the even gait of an experienced swordsman, pointed towards a background in armoured fighting. The natural grace in his movements, the subconsciously careful footwork and the full water skin hanging at his hip, however, betrayed the man's identity as a strong bender.

Zuko's first reaction to being in a small room, injured, and alone with a foreign master bender was to get out as fast as possible. The only reason he didn't try to make a break for it (aside from the fact that he wasn't sure if he could walk properly with only one eye to see out of) was that the man's face, while stern and authoritative, was kind. He reminded the young boy of Master Piandao, his swordfighting instructor back home. He was obviously not a man to be messed with, but was also evidently gentle and had a warm feel to him. Even so, Zuko didn't let his guard down.

"Good, you're awake," the man said with a soft smile as he noticed the boy's golden eyes following his movements warily. "How are you feeling?"

Zuko hesitated for a moment before replying. "Better," he said after a moment, his voice scratchy and hoarse from disuse. He paused to cough once. "Wh-What happened?" he managed to get out quietly.

"We spotted you drifting," the man said, kneeling next to the pallet and setting down the bundle he had been carrying beside him, "and of course we would never have left you out there. You've been out for two days. It's just after dawn now." The man unwrapped a bunch of herbs and carefully shredded them as he talked. "My name is Hakoda. I'm the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, and for the next few days, your healer. That little ride on the raft did a lot of damage to you, and that's not even counting that horrific burn of yours."

Zuko swallowed sharply, memories flooding his mind again at the reminder of the brand of his face. He looked away, shrinking into himself.

The chief looked up from his work, a worried frown on his face. "How did you get it?" he asked, his tone softening in sympathy as he brushed all the herbs off his hands into a bowl. Drawing a thin stream out of his waterskin, he mashed the herbs into a pale green paste, ignoring Zuko's sharp intake of breath and how his heart kicked into overdrive at the sight of waterbending. "It's very close range, and it's clean. Too clean a wound for a training accident. You either didn't see it coming or allowed it to happen. Which one?"

After a tense silence, in which the boy watched the man's every move with suspicion, Zuko finally answered. "A bit of both," he murmured quietly.

"Ah," the man hummed his understanding, "I understand. Sit up, Zuko."

A warm, calloused hand settled on the boy's slim shoulder, helping him rise partially off the pallet. Zuko's vision tunnelled and his head spun, a groan being forced out of him. Immediately, Hakoda took more of the boy's weight and shifted him so that he was leaning against a pillow the man propped up against the wooden wall behind him. "Thank you," Zuko whispered through his receding headache, remembering his basic manners.

Hakoda chuckled softly. "Don't thank me yet," he cautioned him lightly, "because that was the least of your worries. I'm going to have another go at healing the burn," he explained, "and hopefully reduce the size of your scar."

"S-Scar?" Zuko choked out. He hadn't even thought of the possibility of being maimed permanently. Tears clouded his one remaining good eye, as he was forced to face the reality of his wound.

"Afraid so," Hakoda said gently, cerulean eyes filled with compassion. "I'll see what I can do, but at the moment it's looking like you'll have this burn for the rest of your life." He squeezed the boy's shoulder comfortingly. "At least you'll be able to see and hear properly again once the burn heals more. For a time, I honestly thought you would be blind and deaf on your left side. Fortunately, you're young, and naturally resilient to this sort of harm."

Zuko nodded absently, his mind still in turmoil over the revelation of his brand.

The man checked the paste once more before setting it aside, focusing his attention on the bandage over the boy's left eye. "I'm going to take the bandage off now," he told the boy. "Close your eyes," he directed him, lightly tugging on the end of the bandage he had tied off, undoing the knot easily.

Zuko froze as the dark hands slowly unwound the strip of cloth from his face and gently prised the cloth patch off his face underneath it. The cold air hitting his burn tore a gasp from him, and he screwed up his face in pain. He felt the chief smooth his wild, singed black hair away from the injury.

"This will hurt at first," Hakoda warned Zuko, "but I promise I'll be gentle."

Zuko was confused - what was he talking about? Everything became clear when he heard the soft swish of flowing water and the low hum that came from his direction. One hand lightly grasped the boy's chin, tilting his head up slightly, while the other was placed gently on the site of the burn, covered in a sheen of glowing blue water.

It felt like Zuko's face was covered in ice. The water was so cold, and compared to the heat emanating from his face, it was downright freezing. Zuko cried out softly while trying to stifle his protests, instinctively trying to wrench his face out of the man's grip. Hakoda's grip tightened, holding the young boy in place firmly. Tears streamed down the boy's good side as he whimpered quietly in pain.

"I know," the man murmured softly to his patient. "It gets better with time. Another minute..."

The humming increased slightly as the water glowed even brighter, the icy coldness seeping into the burnt skin of Zuko's face. The searing pain slowly faded into a dull ache, which eventually melted away into a soothing coolness. Zuko unconsciously relaxed, a slight sigh of relief escaping him as the burning pain that had been a constant companion for days finally disappeared.

A moment later, the man took his hand away from his face, the water's glow fading out as he flicked it back into his flask with ease. "Well," he said, "it's looking better than I thought it would. I'd give it another week before the bandages can come off. And there's definitely no permanent damage to the eye or ear." Zuko nodded wordlessly, allowing the man to apply the paste he had made to the burn and reapply the bandages. "I'll clear you for visitors. How would you like to see your cousin?"

Zuko looked up in shock. "L-Lu Ten's here?"

"We captured him in a raid on a ship just before we picked you up," the Chief confirmed, a small smile forming on his face as he stood up. "I'll let him know he can come see you."

Zuko nodded. As the man turned around to leave the cabin, he spoke. "Thank you, sir."

He smiled at the boy. "You're welcome, Zuko. And also? Welcome to the Water Tribe."

* * *

"So? How is he?" Bato asked as soon as his young charge was out of sight. Lu Ten had been all too eager to see his cousin when Chief Hakoda told him he could.

Hakoda sighed. "Physically, he's doing quite well. He's recovered from the shock symptoms and he's no longer quite as dehydrated as he was when we found him. I managed to get rid of the few traces of frostbite he had, and the burn is looking a lot healthier. His eye and ear will be functioning normally in a few days."

Bato looked at his friend closely. "But that's not all of it, is it?"

"No. I'm worried about his spirit," Hakoda confided in his friend. "He's very calm - very docile and obedient. And he hasn't bent yet."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Bato said incredulously. "Do you want a firebender shooting sparks on our wooden ship?"

"Of course not," Hakoda said, "but firebending isn't all about the flames, Bato. He should at least be raising the temperature a few degrees. He's not even bending subconsciously, which worries me. It means that he's either an extremely weak bender, had next to no training, or is purposefully not bending. And if he's not bending, his chi is unbalanced which will slow his healing process."

"...and?"

Hakoda exhaled sharply. "It's also a sign of some kind of mental or spiritual problem. I've seen the signs before...remember the one who shall not be named from last winter? His son?"

Bato looked confused for a moment before he realised what his friend was talking about. "Oh. You think..."

"I'm not sure, mind you," Hakoda cautioned him, "but it's looking like it. The burn...it's disturbing. It's too clean for a training accident and far too strong to be self-inflicted, especially at his age. It looks like Lakri's scar. And some of the other things I saw while healing him - obviously, I can't tell you what, exactly - they're not the type of injuries you would expect to find on a nine-year-old."

Bato frowned, turning to gaze at the door which led to the cabins below deck. "So what are we doing to do about it?"

Hakoda looked at him. "Us? Absolutely nothing. We'll tell the Earth King about the boys, and then we'll take them both back to the tribe until we can come to a ransom agreement with the Fire Nation. It's none of our business how the Fire Lord's family treat each other."

Bato just looked at him.

"Okay, fine. You've got me. I absolutely hate the idea of handing the boy back to his parents," Hakoda admitted after a moment. "I'll talk to Zuko when he's feeling better. He was drifting on a raft for a reason, a reason I want to find out. If it sounds like the Fire Nation wants him back, we'll use him as a bargaining chip. But if they think he's dead, which is what's looking likely at this point...well, we'll see what happens.

Bato smirked at his friend, knowing that his chief had already developed a soft spot for that boy. "Okay," he said wryly. "If you say so."

Hakoda scowled at him, but there really wasn't much he could say to that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I'm back again. Sorry about the irregular uploads. School is just insane at the moment. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Summer, 100 years since the Air Nomad Genocide

Push, pull. Push, pull. Karah's oar rhythmically stroked through the strangely warm water as she paddled up the river. Every time she stroked, her bending surged and the water's current split around her slim kayak, allowing her to travel at her usual pace despite the powerful rip opposing her. Her muscles were bitterly protesting her return to the strenuous exercise of kayaking.

After finally hitting land in the afternoon the previous day, the young Water Tribe girl had pretty much pitched her tent and collapsed. Karah had cut down her travel time by half by kayaking through the night, partially because she had no anchor but also because there was nowhere to put in to beach the kayak. Instead of a three day trip, she had cut it down to a day and a half, arriving on the rocky beach of the northern Earth Kingdom in the afternoon on the second day. It was the morning of the third day of her journey, and she was just beginning to follow the river inland.

Karah had used the long hours of repetitive paddling to formulate her travel plans. She intended to follow the Yellow River Delta's northern branch into the centre of the Earth Kingdom, which would take four days by her best estimates. She would beach her kayak every night on the banks of the river to recover from her gruelling thirty five hour leg of the journey. Then, when she reached the delta's centre, she would begin following the western branch of the delta which backed on to Ba Sing Se. She would then get out of the Yellow Delta by walking a few miles overland with her kayak to cross the city and head down the Great Southern Waterway which was a river that turned into a current that would take her all the way to Kyoshi Island via Gaipan. The portion of the Southern Waterway that was a river was almost three times the length of the Yellow River Delta's northern branch. It would take her at least two weeks to travel the whole thing. And then, when she hit the coast, she would take a day or two to rest before beginning the horrific kayak to cross the ocean. While the current of the waterway would do a large amount of the work for her, it would still take four or five days to see land once she left Gaipan.

As Karah worked her way up the river, the landscape slowly transitioned from the rocky ground and ice-capped mountains near the coast to the green, pastoral area of the Earth Kingdom. For the first time in her life, Karah had to take off her parka outside. The sheer difference in the scenery was enough to make her stop just to take it in on a few different occasions. It was a huge shock to her. And so was her presence to the villages she passed through on her journey.

* * *

"Hello, dearie. What can I do for you today?"

"Good morning, ma'am," Karah replied politely. "One sack of rice, please."

"Coming right up," the grandmotherly old lady promised as she bustled off to get her supplies. "By the way, your accent...you're not from 'round here?"

"No," she answered. "I'm actually Northern Water Tribe."

That stopped the woman in her tracks. "Water Tribe?" she asked in disbelief, peering over the high counter to see her clothes. Sure enough, the girl was wearing a blue knee-length tunic, wolf-hide boots and navy leggings. A water skin hung casually at her side. "W-Why, I've never seen one of your people before," she said breathlessly. "What are you doing so far from home, dearie?"

"Tribe business," the girl replied. "I'm heading south to our sister tribe. There are some things Chief Arnook needs done at the South Pole."

The woman returned to the counter, passing a bag of rice over to the girl. "You're heading to the Southern Water Tribe? We saw two young men pass through here a few days ago, actually, that were heading down that way. One dressed like you, and one was..." Here, she glanced around covertly, before continuing in a whisper. "...an air bender."

Karah nodded. "They would be my business down south," she sighed, counting out some money to pay the woman with. "Why did they stop here?"

"They seemed to be interested in our Earth Rumble tournament," the woman explained, working out what change to give her. "Apparently, they were looking for an earthbending master. They found one, all right - best earthbender on the continent, they say. I'm surprised they didn't take her on as the teacher."

"Really? This master is still here?" Karah asked curiously. "Who is it?"

"Thing is, I'm not really meant to know," the woman hedged. "She's a Rumble character, she hides her identity from the public - not that we don't know who she is anyway. She calls herself the Blind Bandit."

"Could you tell me how to find her?" Karah took her change, absently stowing it in her money sack.

The woman hesitated for a moment. "You seem to be a decent sort," she decided finally, "so I'll tell you. Just don't repeat this to anyone, you understand? If it gets back to her parents, spirits help her."

"Of course," Karah said immediately. "They won't hear it from me."

"Good," she said, before continuing quietly. "It's Toph Beifong. She's the daughter of the Beifong merchants, richest couple in town. She's supposed to be their business heir, but she won't hear of it. If you go up to the estate and ask to speak to her on business - just make something up - they'll let you right in. But bear in mind, that's no guarantee she'll hear you out."

"That's okay. I can be very persuasive when I want to be," Karah said with a small smile. She stepped back and bowed politely to the older woman. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome, dearie," the woman replied warmly. "Look after yourself, hm? You're very young to be travelling alone."

"I will. Don't worry about me."

The teenager swung her provisions over her shoulder, making her way out of the village towards her campsite in the forest. She'd arrived in Gaoling, the last stop before she hit Ba Sing Se, the previous afternoon to refuel and restock her supplies so she wouldn't have to stop and enter the huge city. She had been on the river for days and had slowly gotten used to the Earth Kingdom's different climate. She no longer felt half-naked wearing her short-sleeved tunic and, after working out that there was no cultural taboo against lower class women bending, had decided to keep a water skin at her side - a item usually only worn by warriors, and by extension, only men.

She ducked under the broken branch which screened her small clearing off from the forest track, kneeling beside her tent and unslinging her sack of rice from her shoulder. She quickly portioned out her new rations so they would last her another week until she reached Kaosu, the next decently sized town after Ba Sing Se. After replacing her supplies in the kayak, which was bobbing gently in the shallow water of the creek she had camped next to, she hid her money in the lining of her tent and left her campsite, replacing the branch over the entrance to hide it from sight from the path.

Then she set a brisk pace back towards the village, turning off the path just before the first houses and hiking up the hill on which the Beifong mansion sat. She wanted to know why her tribe-mate and the Avatar had left the best earthbender on the continent behind.

* * *

"Yes? Who is it? What do you want?" the guard asked suspiciously, peering between the panes of the windows in the guard post at the young woman.

"I am Karah of the Northern Water Tribe. I have some business with the young Lady Beifong," the girl replied, attempting to mimic the officious court manners she had seen amongst the Chief's council back home.

"Do you have an appointment?" the guard asked, curling his lip at her simple blue clothing.

"No, but she is expecting me," Karah lied, hiding a wince of discomfort at her blatant dishonesty.

"Hmm," the guard considered. "Fine. You may enter. The lady will be in the lotus garden. First turn on your left."

"Thank you for your time," Karah said, passing through the gates an instant before he slammed them behind her with an ominous clank.

She followed the guard's surly instructions into a small courtyard off the main path. She peered curiously around the bend in the path, watching a tiny girl struggle to raise a stone with interest.

"That's enough for today, Lady Beifong," a stuffy looking old man declared after a moment, flicking his wrist contemptuously at the girl. Karah barely stifled a sharp intake of breath - that was the Blind Bandit? "We'll continue this tomorrow."

"Okay, Master Lin," she replied meekly. "Thank you for your time."

The man huffed in exasperation, shaking his head as he brushed past the tiny girl, marching pompously towards the exit. He barely spared Karah a glance as he passed her on the footpath.

As soon as the man was out of earshot, the tiny girl released a sigh, flicking her hand at the stone she had previously been struggling to lift and sending it flying into the pond. "Old fart," she grumbled under her breath, shaking her black bangs over her eyes, folding her arms aggressively and taking a more rooted stance. "Alright, little miss eavesdropper," she suddenly said, whirling on where Karah was watching, "I know you're there. Right behind the potted plant. Yeah, you," she said exasperatedly when the other girl started. "What do you want with me?"

Karah was taken aback for a moment, but recovered her composure quickly. "My name is Karah," she began. "I'm from the Northern Water Tribe. I was told that my tribe-mate Irsaq and his companion asked you a...particular favour."

The girl considered her for a moment. "What do you mean?" Toph asked suspiciously, subtly sliding into a more sturdy bending stance. Obviously, she knew what she was talking about.

Karah stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Avatar Aang wanted you to teach him earthbending, didn't he?" she murmured.

Toph was visibly shocked, relaxing her stance slightly. "Okay. You've got me curious, lady. Who the heck are you, and how do you know that?"

"I'm a waterbender from the north," Karah said quietly. "I've been asked by my chief to catch up to and accompany the Avatar to the Southern Water Tribe and help find him teachers. Also, I'm meant to learn some waterbending from them, but that's not the priority. Apparently, the Blind Bandit is the best earthbender on the continent. Why didn't they take you with them?"

"Simple - I didn't want to go," the girl said, practically radiating hostility. "Aang will never be an earthbender. He's got too much air in him for any other element to have a place. I have plans for my life, plans that don't involve running around the world with an idiot like him."

Karah raised an eyebrow. "He's that bad?" she said, disbelief marring her features. Toph seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't lie about things like that. Her opinion of the Avatar was, honestly, quite frightening. If the Avatar was an idiot like she said he was, the world was doomed.

"Ooh yeah," Toph grimaced. "Way too flighty for an earthbender, and has no attention span to boot."

Karah winced. Now that was a truly terrifying thought. A bender with no concentration was a danger to all those around them. Things happen when benders are around. She didn't want to think about a bender of the Avatar's ability could unwittingly do to his companions. While she couldn't stand Irsaq, she wouldn't wish death by Avatar bending on anyone.

"You understand why I won't risk teaching someone like him," Toph said bluntly, having picked up on Karah's reaction.

Karah was stunned. "Sorry to be rude, but how on earth do you know that?" she said incredulously.

Toph smirked gleefully. "I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I can't see." At Karah's confused look, she relented. "I see with my earthbending. Movement causes vibration, which I can feel through my feet." She lifted her long skirt, showing off her bare feet.

"That's incredible," Karah breathed. "The level of concentration - and you'd be bending constantly, wouldn't you? Spirits...just, wow. I can't believe the Avatar passed up an opportunity to learn from you. This skill of yours would be invaluable to him. It would save his life."

Toph looked stunned. "Thank you," she said, sounding slightly vulnerable. "I...haven't thought of it that way. That Aang's life could be saved by my seismic sense."

"Well, it's too bad that he can't learn from you," Karah sighed. "I absolutely respect your decision, of course. I can't ask you to put your life at risk, teaching such a volatile bender."

"Yeah," Toph sighed. "Teaching the Avatar sounds great, you know? I would do it in a heartbeat if I thought I would get through it without suffering serious bodily harm. Travelling the world, seeing different kinds of bending...throwing around earthbenders is getting old now - I bet sparring with a firebender would be interesting! It would be great. Just...I don't think I'm brave enough to bet on my bending being able to stand up to the Avatar's if he lost control."

"Maybe you aren't strong enough alone," Karah conceded, "although I seriously doubt that if he's only mastered one element. But he's heading south to start his training with water. If the Southern Tribe is anything like they say it is, he won't get away with anything down there. They have enough water benders around to restrain the Avatar if necessary. And they'd drum some self-discipline into his head before you'd have to start teaching him."

Toph looked thoughtful. "That's a fair point. But it's too late now anyway. They've probably found another teacher by now."

"Couldn't hurt to come with us anyway. Even if you don't teach him regular earthbending, you could at least show him your...seismic sense, isn't it? And the Southern Water Tribe have the best waterbenders in the world. Having an opportunity to watch their bending is going to be amazing," Karah said persuasively. "Look, I absolutely get where you're coming from. I'm in the same boat - I couldn't teach the Avatar the first thing about bending, and putting myself directly in harm's way for next to no reason isn't exactly appealing. I'm just along for the ride. But I'd appreciate your company, even if the Avatar doesn't need it."

Toph sighed. "I'll think about it, okay? I'll give you my answer tomorrow."

"All right," Karah said agreeably. "How are we going to meet up?"

Toph grinned to herself. "Don't worry about that, sweetness," she laughed. "I'll come to you."


End file.
